Stop combination selector for organs



' July 19, 1966 G. LEMlEUX 3,261,252

STOP COMBINATION SELECTOR FOR ORGANS Filed April 5, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 QW W PATENT AGENT July 19, 1966 G- LEMIEUX STOP COMBINATION SELECTOR FOR ORGANS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 5, 1965 Q E um m mm //v VEN rap Gilberl LEM/E'UX PATENT AGENT United States Patent 3,261,252 STOP COMBINATION SELECTOR FOR ORGANS Gilbert Lemieux, La Providence, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Casavant Freres Limitee, St. Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada Filed Apr. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 445,578 6 Claims. (Cl. 84344) The present invention relates to a stop combination pre-setting and selecting device for use in ongans of the electronic type or of the pneumatic type whether mechanical or electromechanical.

The usual lorgan console is provided with a plurality of pro-selecting knobs for pre-setting a great number of different combinations of organ stops, any one of the several stop combinations becoming effiective during play upon depression 'of a button by the organist.

The present application describes an improved device for setting up various stopcombinations and for selecting a particular combination during play, but claims the select-or mechanism, while the mechanism for setting up various stop combinations is claimed in a co-pending patent application entitled: Stop Combination Pre-Setting Mechanism lf'Oil' Organs.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character described, which is of compact construction, enabling in a small space to pre-store a large number of different combinations of several different stops, or ranks of pipes or other sound producers of different pitch, but of the same tonal quality, which is completely silient in operation and in which the selector mechanism has a positive and fail-proof action on the combination pro-setting mechanism.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a device of the character described, of relatively simple construction and which is very sturdy and will have a long life.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will'become more apparent during the following disclosure and by referring to the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of the left hand portion of the device;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the right hand portion of the device;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation partly in longitudinal section of the portion of the device shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal section of the portion of the device shown in FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged size \partial elevation of a combination blade and one double-arm lever, the same elements being shown in smaller scale in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-section of the assembly of the console board having the combination preselecting knobs or keys mounted thereon and of the mechanism shown in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 7 is an end view, partially in section, of the portion of the device shown in FIGURES 2 and 4; and

FIGURE 8 is a side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of one of the selector hooks.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which like reference characters indicate like elements throughout, the device is located within and mounted on an elongated box 1, which is preferably disposed behind the organ console panel 2, shown in FIGURE 6, being supported by end brackets 1' in the area of said panel provided with combination pre-selecting knobs or keys 3.

Normally, there are as many pre-selecting keys 3 as there are stops and couplers in the organ. For purpose of this application, the term stop is deemed to encompass the term coupler.

The keys 3 may be disposed in one or more rows and connected to box 1 for controlling the stops and couplers 3,261,252 Patented July 19 1966 of the organ. Each key 3 is pivotally mounted at 4 on a bracket 5, secured to panel 2, for pivotal movement in a vertical plane between an on and an off position; FIG. 6 shows a key 3 in the off position. The inner portion of each key extends through an opening 6 made in the panel 2 behind the panel.

The box 1 is of elongated shape, having a bottom 7, a top 8, and side walls 9 and 10 and an end wall 11, while the other end is closed by a metal cap 12.

As shown in FIGURES 4 and 6, the inside faces of the bottom 7 and top 8 are provided with a plurality of parallel equally spaced and vertically aligned longitudinally extending slots 13, 13, lined with felt 14. Each pair of vertically aligned slots 13 and 1 3' is adapted to slidably receive a combination blade 15, of rectangular shape, having a length slightly less than the length of the inside of the box 1, so that each blade 15 can be moved longitudinally through a limited extent and independently of each other.

As shown in FIGURE 4, each blade is urged into a right hand limit position by means of a tension spring 16, attached to the blade and extending within an end slot 17 made in the blade and attached to cap 12 at the other end.

The right hand limit position of each blade 15 is adjusted by means of an abutment plug 18, screwed within cap 12. There is one abutment plug for each blade 15, and, due to the small spacing between the blades 15, the plugs 18 are disposed in staggered relationship in two rows, as shown in FIGURE 7.

Adjacent the front end of box 1 provided with the cap 12, the top 8 is provided with atransversely extending window opening 19, closed by a transparent pane 20 which has a reference line 20', marked thereon, adapted to be visually aligned with similar marks made on the top edge of the upright blades 15, so as to be able to adjust the limit longitudinal rest position of each blade, by means of plugs 18.

Each blade 15 is provided with a series of cut-outs or openings 21, preferably equally spaced apart longitudinally of the blade and disposed in a row and such that each cut-out of one blade is transversely aligned with the associated cut-outs of the remaining blades when the blades are adjusted in their limit rest position.

Each cut-out 21 forms on the side directed towards metal cap 12 a semi-circular portion 22 flanked by two vertical steps 23. t

A plurality of transversely extending shafts 24 are rotatably mounted within and pass through the side walls 9 and 10.

The portion of each shaft 24 protruding from said wall 9 forms a crank arm 25 pivotally connected to an associated key 3 by means of a link 26. Output end 27 of each shaft 24 protrudes from the opposite side wall 10.

A bushing 28 surrounds the portion of the shaft 24 extending within box 1 and is tightly secured thereon. Bushing 28 is provided with two angularly spaced longitudinally extending parallel grooves 29 and 29. Double arm levers 30 are mounted on each shaft bushing 28, each lever 30 being disposed within an opening 21 of the blades 15, so that its oppositely directed arms may abut steps 23 at the top or bottom of the opening.

At least the collar of each double arm lever 30 is made of resilient material, is split at 30' and has an inwardly directed stud 31 releasably engageable with one or the other of grooves 29 and 29' under relative rotation of lever 30 and bushing 28.

FIGURES 4 and 5 show the combination blades 15 in their rest limit position and also double arm levers 30 inclined to the right or to the left, depending whether their studs 21 engage groove 29 or 29' of bushing 28.

In the right hand inclined position of the double arm levers 30, the top arm is close to but spaced from the top step 23 of opening 21, whereas in the left hand inclined position of the double arm levers, the lower arm thereof is close to the lower step 23 of opening 21.

Each shaft 24 is provided with means for resiliently maintaining the same in an on or off position. Normally, these shaft loading means consist of a spring arrangement, such as double notched spring 3, bearing on a stud of the associated key 3, to maintain the same and, consequently, shaft 24 in on or off position.

The output ends 27 of the shafts are connected to conventional control means, such as an on-oif electric relay, not shown, each controlling an associated organ stop to make the same operative or non-operative.

It will be appreciated that rearward displacement of any one combination blade 15, away from its abutment plug 18, will cause the top or bottom step 23 to engage the top or lower arm of all the inclined double arm levers 30 associated with the blade being displaced, so as to rotate the shaft 24 to bring the two arms of the levers 30 in vertical position engaging both steps 23.

The right hand inclined double arm levers and associated shafts will be rotated in an anticlockwise direction, while the left hand inclined double arm levers and associatefd shafts will be rotated in clockwise direction.

Obviously, rearward displacement of a combination blade will not rotate those shafts on which levers 30 are already in vertical position.

Each key 3 moves its shaft from an on to an off position, and vice versa.

In FIG. 5, shaft 24 and its crank arm 25 are in on position; in the off position, crank arm 25 takes a symmetrical position below a horizontal line passing through the shaft axis. When lever 30 has its stud 31 in engagement with groove 29, as in FIG. 5, lever 30 has a right inclined position in the on position of the shaft and a vertical position in the off position of the shaft.

When lever 30 has its stud 31 in engagement with groove 29, lever 30 takes a vertical position in the on position of shaft 24, and a left inclined position in the off position of the shaft. This last condition is illustrated by the two right hand levers 30 in FIGURE 4.

Thus, rearward displacement of blade 15 cases passage from on to off position of all shafts 24 having their blade associated lever 30 in engagement with top notch 29 and passage from off to on position of shafts 24 having their blade associated lever 30 in engagement with bottom notch 29'.

The pre-selecting keys 3 are used for manually changing the angular position of the double arm levers 30 on their respective shaft 24. This is effected in the following manner:

A selected combination blade 15 is displaced rearwardly by an actuating mechanism to be described hereinafter and maintained in said rearward position, whereby all the already inclined double arm levers 30 associated therewith, are rotated into an angular position with their two arms in vertical alignment. This causes pivotal movement of the associated keys 3, clockwise or anticlockwise, depending on the initial inclination of the double arm levers.

The keys 3 will take two different angular positions: namely, on and off positions, depending on whether stud 31 engages groove 29 or 29' of bushing 28. These angular positions of the keys 3 are an indication to the organist whether or not the stops associated therewith are active or inactive.

By pressing upon the upper or lower portion of a key 3 so as to rotate it clockwise or anticolckwise, the shaft 24 and bushing 28 are then rotated clockwise or anticlockwise, so as to change the engagement of stud 31 from the groove to the other of the grooves 29 and 29, so as to change the angular position of the double arm lever 30 with respect to its shaft 24. Then the organist allows return of the combination blade into its rest limit position.

Each blade 15 can be actuated in turn and the same selecting keys 3 actuated accordingly to change the initial position of the double arm levers associated with each blade 15, so as to set up a number of different combinations of stops.

Thus, it will be appreciated that on a same shaft 24, the double arm levers 30 may have two different inclinations, such that a given stop will stay or will be rendered operative by operation of a selected blade 15 and will remain or be rendered inoperative by operation of another blade 15, each blade 15 being operable independently and one at a time.

On rsum, the pre-selection of the combinations of stops to be played is accomplished by first causing left hand displacement of the desired combination blade 15 to bring the double arm levers 30 in a vertical plane. This causes pivotal movement of the associated keys 3 whereby the organist knows at a glance which stops are operative and which stops are inoperative, and he may change the combination of non-operative and operative stops accordingly.

The organist can, in this manner, quickly pre-select any number of the combinations available to him, that is up to a maximum number equal to the number of combination blades 15 present in the mechanism. Naturally, the number of shafts 24 and keys 3 will be equal to the number of stops and couplers in the organ.

Stop combination selecting and actuating mechanism This mechanism is essentially designed to displace any desired combination blade 15 for immediately playing the desired combination of stops associated with the keyboard being played.

Box 1 has in the center part of its top 8 a transverse window opening 32 uncovering the top edges of the several combination blades 15, which are provided in register with said opening 32 with a top notch 33, the rear end 34 of which is slightly inclined downwardly and rearwardly.

An inverted U-shaped yoke member 35 straddles the box 1 and is pivotally connected at the lower end of its side legs at 36 to a bracket 37 secured to the side walls 9 and 1t).

Coil springs 38 are attached to the side legs of yoke 37 above pivots 36 and to box 1 forwardly of yoke 35, so as to urge the latter forwardly of the box, that is towards the end of the box provided with cap 12.

A solenoid 39 is secured to top 8 of box 1 near the rear end thereof over the box center and its plunger 40 is connected by a ball joint 41 to an actuator rod 42, the outer end of which is connected by a ball joint 43 to the center of the bight portion of yoke 35.

Actuator rod 42 extend through an upright bracket 44 provided on each side thereof with felt pads 45, against which may abut stop discs 46 secured to actuator rod 42 and adjusted so as to adjust the limit for ward and rearward positions of the actuator rod. Thus, upon actuation of solenoid 39, the plunger 40 will enter the same and pull on yoke 35 so as to pivot the same rearwardly against the action of coil springs 38.

A pivot rod 47 extends between the side legs of yoke 35 and is secured at its ends to said side legs, said pivot rod 47 being parallel to the line joining pivots 36 and disposed above the latter and below the bight of yoke 35. A plurality of hook members 48, shown also in FIGURE 8, are pivotally mounted on pivot rod 47 for free pivotal movement thereon and are equally spaced from each other by means of spacing members 49, so that each hook 48 will be in the same vertical plane as its associated combination blade 15, there being as many hook members as there are combination blades.

Each hook member 48 has at its outer end a downwardly projecting tip 50 having a back inclined edge 51 adapted to mate with the inclined edge 34 of notch 33 of blade 15. Each book member 48 has furthermore,

an upwardly extending portion 52 intermediate its pivot hole 53 and tip 50, and to which is secured an L-shaped strip 54 of paramagnetic material, the top horizontal portion 55 of which normally overlies and is adapted to be attracted by an upstanding electro-magnet 56 secured on top of a bracket 57, itself secured to the top 8 of box 1.

There is one electro-magnet 56 for each blade and hook member 48. The poles of the electro-magnets 56 are preferably covered with a layer of felt 58. In front of the row of electro-magnets 56 is disposed a transverse member 59 providing a shelf 60.

Shelf 60 supports the electric wires connected to the electro-magnets 56.

Each hook member 48 is urged into a blade releasing position, that is in anticlockwise direction, as shown in FIGURE 3, by means of a hair pin spring 61, one arm of which rests underneath the yoke 35 and the other arm of which is inserted within hole 62 made at the rear top corner of book member 48.

Yoke member 35 is provided with an abutment 63 a-djustably secured on top thereof and adapted to abut against all of the strips 54 secured to hook members 48, so :as to apply the horizontal portion 55 of said strip 54 into contact with the electro-magnets 56 in the de-energized state of solenoid 39.

At the keyboard and/or pedalboard are disposed a plurality of push button switches, not shown, each having double contacts adapted to be closed in rapid succession. The last operated contact of all the switches is connected to solenoid 39, whereby the latter can be energized by pushing any one of the push buttons, while the other first operated contact of the push button switches is connected to the individual electro-magnets 56, so that each push button corresponds to one electromagnet and the selected electro-magnet is energized immediately before operation of the solenoid 39.

In the rest position of yoke 35, solenoid 39 being de-energized, abutment bar 63 presses against strips 54 to apply the horizontal portions 55 thereof unto electromagnets 56, the latter being d e-energized. Thus, all the hook members 48 are maintained in engagement with the notches 33 of the combination blades 15, as shown in FIGURE 3.

Upon counterclockwise pivotal movement of yoke 35 under action of energized solenoid 39, abutment bar 63 releases strips 54 and the hook members 48 pivot into anticlockwise direction about pivots 36 under action of hairpin springs 61, whereby tips 50 of the hook members clear the notches 33 of the combination blades 15 and the latter remain in their front limit position, being maintained therein by their spring 16.

The above takes place for all the hook members 48, the electro-magnets 56 of which are not energized, but for the electro-magnet 56 which is being energized, the strip 54 remains in engagement with the poles of the electro-magnet 56 being attracted thereby, as the attraction is greater than the anticlockwise force exerted by the hair pin 61, whereby the hook tip 50 remains in engagement with the notch 33, and, upon rearward movement of yoke 35, the combination blade 15 hooked to hook 48 is pulled rearwardly until stop disc 46 abuts against felt 45 at the front of bracket 44. Strip portion 55 simply slides on the poles of the energized electromagnet 56, during the pulling pivotal movement of yoke 35, but always remains in the magnetic field of the poles.

It will be noted that in the rest position of the mechanism, all the hook members 48 are in hooking engagement with the notches 33 of the combination blades 15, and the strips 54 are in contact with their associated electro-magnet 56. Thus, upon energization of the system, there is no initial hooking movement of the hook members 48 selected for pulling the blade 15, the electromagnet 56 of the selected hook servingisimply to hold the hook in hooking position. The non-selected hook members are simply allowed to pivot upwardly upon the action of the hairpin pring 61.

The resulting mechanism is positive, fast and simple in its operation: the hook of the selected blade simply stays in hooking engagement therewith, while the hooks of the remaining blades are allowed to pivot upwardly during pulling of the selected blade. So there is no time delay necessary for hooking of the selected blade and operation of solenoid 39 and the selected electromagnet 56 is simultaneous. Moreover, because the electro-rnagnet 56 only serves to counteract the action of the hair pin spring 61 and does not serve to pull the blade, this latter action being effected by the solenoid 39 common to all the blades, the electro-m agnets 56 can be made very small and very narrow, whereby the combination blades 15 can be spaced apart a very short distance and the resulting mechanism is very compact, compared to the number of combinations available.

While a preferred embodiment in accordance with the invention has been illustrated and described, it is understood that various modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A mechanism for selectively axially displacing any one of an assembly of elongated blades disposed side by side and mounted for independent axial movement from a limit position and provided with spring return means urging said blades into said limit position, said blades each having a notch made in a longitudinal edge thereof, said mechanism comprising a yoke member straddling said assembly and pivotally supported at each side thereof, electric power means operable to pivot said yoke member in one direction, spring return means urging pivotal movement of said yoke member into the opposite direction for said yoke member to take a limit position, an assembly of hook members, one for each blade, pivotally mounted on said yoke member, above said blade and each extending in the plane of the associated blade for pivotal movement between a blade notch hooking position and a blade notch releasing position, an abutment member on said yoke member engageable with said hook members in the limit position of said yoke member to maintain said hook members in their hooking position, stationarily mounted electro-magnets each associated with one hook member, each hook member having a portion made of paramagnetic material attracted by the associated electro-miagnet upon energization of the latter, so as to maintain said hook member in hooking position, both when said yoke member is in said limit position and when moving away from said limit position under action of said power means, and spring means associated with said hook members urging pivotal movement of said hook members into blade notch releasing position and non-effective against the attraction exerted by said electro-magnets.

2. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pivotal axis of said hook members is disposed intermediate the pivotal axis of said yoke member and said abutment member, the latter being further away from the pivotal axis of said yoke member than that of said hook members whereby, upon pivotal movement of said yoke member into said one direction under the action of said power means, said abutment member moves faster than the pivot axis of said hook members to thereby allow pivotal movement of said hook members into blade notch releasing position under action of said last-named spring means, for those of said hook members, the associated electro-magnet of which is de-energized.

3. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein said abutment member is adjustably secured to said yoke member to adjustably maintain said portions of paramagnetic material in contact with their associated electromagnet when said yoke member is in said limit position.

4. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein said electric power means consist of a solenoid, a plunger 7 movable Within said solenoid, said plunger being attached to said yoke member by means of a rod articulated to said yoke member and to said plunger.

5. A mechanism as claimed in claim 4, further including abutment means on said rod and a stationarily mounted stop member against Which said abutment means are adapted to bear at the end of the pivoting stroke of said yoke member in said one direction.

6. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein said portion of paramagnetic material consists of an L- shaped strip having an upstanding leg secured to said hook member and a substantially horizontal leg overlying the associated electr-o-magnet.

No references cited.

LOUIS J. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner. 

1. A MECHANISM FOR SELECTIVELY AXIALLY DISPLACING ANY ONE OF AN ASSEMBLY OF ELONGATED BLADES DISPOSED SIDE BY SIDE AND MOUNTED FOR INDEPENDENT AXIAL MOVEMENT FROM A LIMIT POSITION AND PROVIDED WITH SPRING RETURN MEANS URGING SAID BLADES INTO SAID LIMIT POSITION, SAID BLADES EACH HAVING A NOTCH MADE IN A LONGITUDINAL EDGE THEREOF, SAID MECHANISM COMPRISING A YOKE MEMBER STRADDLING SAID ASSEMBLY AND PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED AT EACH SIDE THEREOF, ELECTRIC POWER MEANS OPERABLE TO PIVOT SAID YOKE MEMBER IN ONE DIRECTION, SPRING RETURN MEANS URGING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID YOKE MEMBER INTO THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FOR SAID YOKE MEMBER TO TAKE A LIMIT POSITION, AN ASSEMBLY OF HOOK MEMBERS, ONE FOR EACH BLADE, PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID YOKE MEMBER, ABOVE SAID BLADE AND EACH EXTENDING IN THE PLANE OF THE ASSOCIATED BLADE FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN A BLADE NOTCH HOOKING POSITION AND A BLADE NOTCH RELEASING POSITION, AN ABUTMENT MEMBER ON SAID YOKE MEMBER ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID HOOK MEMBERS IN THE LIMIT POSITION OF SAID YOKE MEMBER TO MAINTAIN SAID HOOK MEMBERS IN THEIR HOOKING POSITION, STATIONARILY MOUNTED ELECTRO-MAGNETS EACH ASSOCIATED WITH ONE HOOK MEMBER, EACH HOOK MEMBER HAVING A PORTION MADE OF PARAMAGNETIC MATERIAL ATTRACTED BY THE ASSOCIATED ELECTRO-MAGNET UPON ENERGIZATION OF THE LATTER, SO AS TO MAINTAIN SAID HOOK MEMBER IN HOOKING POSITION, BOTH WHEN SAID YOKE MEMBER IS IN SAID LIMIT POSITION UNDER ACTION OF SAID ING AWAY FROM SAID LIMIT POSITION UNDER ACTION OF SAID POWER MEANS, AND SPRING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID HOOK MEMBERS URGING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID HOOK MEMBERS INTO BLADE NOTCH RELEASING POSITION AND NON-EFFECTIVE AGAINST THE ATTRACTION EXERTED BY SAID ELECTRO-MAGNETS. 